#NameCollision

AS WELL AS CAUSING an outpouring of grief, vitriol and general controversy, the death of former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher on Monday also managed to highlight the pitfalls of hashtags.

The trending hashtag #nowthatchersdead was read by many Tweeters – well, those who are totally uninformed on news and global events – as announcing the news that Cher is dead, rather than Thatcher is dead, leading to an outpouring of grief for the entertainer.